Observations of Lowell by William Tappan Thompson, 1845

They cum swamin out of the factories like bees out of a hive, and spreadin in every direction, filled the streets so that nothin else was to be seen but platoons of sun-bonnets, with long capes hangin down over the shoulders of the factory galls. Thousands upon thousands of ‘em waspassin along the streets, all lookin happy and cheerful and neat and clean and butiful, as if they was boarding-school misses just from their books. It was indeed a interesting sight, and a gratifyin one to a person who had always thought that the opparatives as they call ‘em in the Northern factories was the most miserable kind of people in the world. Note:Major Jones also met Harriet Farley, then editor of the Lowell Offering, who took him to meet some of the contributors, Introduced to Lucy Larcom while she was at work in one of the packing rooms, he proudly received from the famous Lowell writer her autograph: “Major Jones: Sir: I have the honor to be, yours, very respectfully, a bona fide factory girl. Lucy Larcom